13 killed as 6 vehicles fall into river after part of bridge collapses near Vadodara

Vadodara: At least 13 people, including two children, were killed when six vehicles fell into the Mahi river after a portion of a 40-year-old dilapidated bridge's deck collapsed near Mujpur village, 27 km from Vadodara city, on Wednesday.

At around 7:30 am, a 15 to 20-metre central portion of the 830-m-long bridge collapsed, sending three trucks, a pick-up van, an auto-rickshaw, and a seven-seater vehicle plummeting nearly 50 to 60 feet into the river.

Concerns over the crumbling condition of the bridge, built in 1986, were flagged to the state govt in 2022 after which some inspections were carried out and funds were approved recently. Five people who were injured are being treated at the state-run SSG Hospital in Vadodara.

A large tanker hung precariously at one end of the damaged bridge, but it was later dragged to safety.

The noise of bridge portions falling into the river and desperate cries for help broke the early morning tranquillity of nearby Dabka and Mujpur villages, whose residents mounted a major rescue operation for an hour.

"The truck suddenly started shaking violently. Before I could understand anything, a portion of the bridge collapsed, and my truck plunged into the river," said rescued driver Ganpat Solanki, who was on his way to Anand.

Three teams of the Vadodara fire brigade and one from the NDRF joined the operation, and 13 bodies were fished out by late evening. The deceased were from Anand, Vadodara and Panchmahal districts.

The bridge, which opened to the public in 1985, connects central Gujarat to Saurashtra, serving as an alternative to the National Highway and Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway. The bridge witnesses constant movement of heavy vehicles like trucks and tankers from the industrial areas of Padra as well as the chemical hub Ankleshwar. Many prefer this bridge to avoid paying toll tax.

The incident has rekindled memories of the Morbi bridge collapse in October 2022, which claimed 135 lives, and the 2003 Damanganga bridge tragedy in Daman, where 30 people—mostly schoolchildren—lost their lives.